Snapshots
by 03hermione1992
Summary: A series of unrelated snapshots into the lives of Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall. Not in any kind of order, I just publish them as the story ideas come to me. ADMM pairing.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1-Minerva's Nightmare

Author's Note: These are going to be a bunch of little stories in the lives of Albus and Minerva. I'm going to try to keep them in the 400-500 word range. I do not own Harry Potter.

Minerva McGonagall was chained up in a dungeon, forced to watch the painful scene in front of her. Albus Dumbledore was on the floor, writhing in pain. The most feared and evil wizard in the world, Lord Voldemort, was taking pleasure in torturing him.

"Crucio," he cried.

Albus was crying out in pain, and begging Voldemort to kill him.

"Stop, torture me instead," Minerva pleaded. She hated seeing the man she loved in pain.

Voldemort did not pay attention to her. He continued to torture Albus for what seemed like an eternity, before he said those two fatal words, and a flash of green light ended Albus' life.

Minerva screamed just as she woke with a start. It was the third time she had that nightmare this month, and she was starting to fear going to sleep. She was starting to think that the nightmares wouldn't end until Voldemort was dead. The tears started falling before Minerva could stop them.

"Minerva, what's wrong?" Albus asked. She had woken him up when she screamed.

Minerva didn't answer him. She was embarrassed that she was sobbing over a dream. But it had felt so real, and it kept reminding her of her worst fear. She rolled over so that her back was to him. She didn't want Albus to see her crying.

"Minerva, did you have that dream again?"

Minerva nodded. Albus rolled over so that he was facing her, and snuggled up against her. Albus knew that she was crying, because she wouldn't look at him, and she was shaking slightly. Albus gently rubbed her back, hoping it would help calm her.

"I'm right here, my dear. It was just a nightmare," he said softly.

"I know," she replied, her voice cracking. She still didn't look at him.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone gets nightmares, and everyone gets scared."

Albus wrapped his arms around Minerva and held her tight. He could feel her start to relax, and slowly the tears stopped. Albus planted kisses along the back her neck and shoulder, and then kissed up and down her jawline. He then gently nibbled on her earlobe, and smiled when she sighed contently.

"Try not to worry too much," he said softly. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know you won't," she replied.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear.

Minerva rolled over so that she was facing Albus. She lightly trailed the backs of her fingers against his cheek. "I love you too," she whispered back.

Minerva knew she would have the nightmare again, many more times. But she knew that everything would be alright as long as she was in Albus' arms.


	2. Chapter 2-Saying Goodbye

Chapter 2-Saying Goodbye

Author's Note: I had to get a bit of angst out of my system. I hope it isn't too sad. I promise, the next chapter will make up for it!

It was a warm early summer day, and the sun was shining brightly in the sky. Minerva McGonagall wished it were cold and gloomy instead, because that's how she felt inside.

If Minerva hadn't seen Albus' lifeless body, she would still be in disbelief over his death. As it was, she still looked for him in the corridors and in the Great Hall at meals. She still half expected to see his twinkling blue eyes and warm, caring smile. The days since his death had been miserable, and the funeral, which ended about an hour before, was unbearable. Everybody knew that she was Albus' Deputy Headmistress, and probably his closest friend, but nobody knew that she had been in love with him. She had tried to keep herself composed, so nobody would guess that there had been more going on between the two of them. She needed time to properly mourn him in private, and this was where she was going.

Minerva stood looking at the white tomb, and images flooded her mind; dancing together at the Yule Ball, him visiting her in secret at St. Mungo's, the sight of his cursed hand, the moment she saw his lifeless body at the bottom of the Astronomy Tower.

Minerva sank to her knees by the tomb and cried. She didn't know how she was going to move on without him, but she would. She was a brave, strong woman, and she would find the strength to keep fighting. Minerva cried until she had no more tears, then she stood up and placed a hand on the top of the tomb.

"There are so many things I never got to say," she said softly. "And things that I should have said long ago. If things were different, and times weren't so dangerous, we could have had it all. We wouldn't have had to be so careful; we wouldn't have had to go around in secret. But I don't regret anything. I love you, I'll always love you. I hope you know that. You know that I will do everything I possibly can to keep Harry, and the rest of the students safe. Goodbye, Albus."

Her last sentence came out as a whisper, and tears threatened to fall again. Minerva refused to let them fall; now was the time to be strong. She started to walk away, but then turned back to the tomb once more. She leaned down and kissed the top of his tomb. As Minerva walked away, it felt like something brushed against her cheek, and she caught the faintest scent of lemon. Minerva smiled, knowing that Albus was still with her, and always would be.


	3. Chapter 3-The Yule Ball

Chapter 3- The Yule Ball

Author's Note: I'm sorry for the delay. I meant to update yesterday, but I was sick. I hope this is worth the wait!

The four champions and their partners walked out onto the dance floor; it was traditional for the dance to be opened by the champions and their partners. Minerva McGonagall stood next to Albus Dumbledore, watching the four couples dance. She smiled when she saw Harry dancing with Parvati Patil; he had been nervous about the dance, but he seemed to be doing okay. Cedric Diggory was dancing with Cho Chang and Fleur Delacour was dancing with Roger Davies. Minerva focused her attention on the last couple, Viktor Krum and his partner. She thought the girl was very familiar, but she didn't get a close look at her. It wasn't until the couple turned, so that the girl was facing Minerva, that she recognized her.

"Albus, it's Miss Granger," Minerva said.

"Where?"

"Dancing with Mr. Krum," she replied.

Minerva smiled. Hermione was simply radiant, and she was looking more confident than Minerva had ever seen her. As she watched, other couples began to join the champions on the dance floor.

"Would you care to dance?" Albus asked her as he held out his arm.

"I would love to," she replied, taking Albus' arm.

Minerva only got one dance with Albus before Barty Crouch came over and asked her to dance, while Albus danced with Madam Maxime. After that Ludo Bagman insisted on dancing with her. In fact, the man hardly left her alone for the next hour. When he went over to speak with Crouch for a minute, Minerva seized her chance. She hurried over to the far side of the Hall, where the refreshment table was. She would spend the rest of the evening dodging him, if need be. Minerva spent five blissful minutes alone, when she felt someone place a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, afraid that Bagman had found her, but relaxed when she saw who it was.

"Albus, thank Merlin it's you. I thought Bagman had found me."

Albus chuckled. "Yes, he has been persistent, hasn't he? I thought I'd lost you for the evening. But I'm not letting you go again."

The music changed so that it was now a slow dance, and Albus led Minerva out onto the floor once more. This was the moment she had been waiting for all evening. They had their arms wrapped tightly around each other, and their faces were inches apart. Minerva felt her pulse quicken; it always thrilled her to be this close to Albus, even after all these years. Albus had a familiar look in his eyes, and Minerva knew that he wanted to kiss her.

"Albus, not here, people will talk."

"People already talk, my dear. You should hear some of the rumors."

Minerva sighed. "Yes, I've heard some of those rumors. You wouldn't believe the things people say we do."

"Well, it's nothing we haven't done before," he said with a playful grin.

Minerva couldn't help but return his grin. "Or are doing later," she said in a sensual voice, making sure that he was the only one who heard.

Albus sighed. He would love to sweep her up to his room right now, but they had to supervise the rest of the Ball. But it wouldn't be long now, since it was almost midnight. Then Minerva was all his.


	4. Chapter 4-A Happy Ending

Chapter 4-A Happy Ending

Author's note: I really meant to update sooner, but I was away this weekend. Sorry! Anyway, here's the next chapter. It's inspired by the feast scene in the Chamber of Secrets movie.

Minerva McGonagall surveyed the Great Hall from her seat at the staff table. It was the end of term, and for once in her life, Minerva was glad. This had been such a trying year; students had been petrified, Albus had (temporarily) been removed from the Headmaster position, Hagrid had been taken to Azkaban, and the Chamber of Secrets had been reopened. Minerva looked down the staff table and sighed.

"Albus, where is Hagrid? He should have been here by now," she said anxiously.

"I'm sure everything is alright. But he should have been here by now."

His words were not reassuring, but Minerva tried not to worry about Hagrid. She looked around the Great Hall again. Her eyes stopped on the Gryffindor Table and two Gryffindors in particular. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were sitting together, looking tired but otherwise in good spirits. She smiled, thinking about what they did in the Chamber of Secrets. They were two typical Gryffindors; they didn't mind breaking rules at all, and were brave almost to the point of recklessness. But they were loyal and cared about the welfare of their friends. She was proud that they were in her house.

Minerva noticed the empty seat next to Harry. "Albus, how is the Mandrake Draught coming?"

"Madam Pomfrey is administering it to the petrified students right now," he replied.

As he said this, the door to the Great Hall opened, and the students who had been petrified headed to join their house at the feast. Minerva and Albus watched as Hermione ran over and greeted Harry and Ron. It was good to see friends being reunited.

"Sorry I'm late," Minerva heard someone say, and she looked up to see Hagrid enter the Great Hall. He was hugged by Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Albus slipped his hand into Minerva's and smiled at her. She smiled back with a smile so brilliant that Albus fell in love with her all over again. He squeezed her hand briefly before letting it go. It was their way of communicating their love for each other when they were in public without revealing their relationship.

Later that evening, Minerva knocked on Albus' door, and entered his office when he invited her in. He was sitting at his desk, but stood up when he saw that it was her. Minerva walked over to him and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Is something wrong, my dear?" he asked.

"No, I'm just tired. It's been a tiring year, and I'm glad it's over."

Albus nodded. "It was pretty bad for a while. Even I was worried."

"At least there was a happy ending to it. I hope next year is a quiet, normal year."

Albus laughed. "A normal year at Hogwarts? I don't think that's possible!"

Minerva laughed too. She and Albus stayed in their embrace for a long time, enjoying their rare quiet time together. It had been a tough year, but it had ended well, and Minerva was thankful for that.


	5. Chapter 5-The Missing Lemon Drops

Chapter 5-The Missing Lemon Drops

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who followed/favorited this story, and to everyone who has read it! I'm sorry it's been a while since I updated. I hope you like this chapter, because it was really fun to write!

Minerva McGonagall was sitting at her desk grading essays when there was a familiar knock on the door. She knew it was Albus Dumbledore before he even opened the door.

"Hi, Albus. How was the meeting at the Ministry?" she asked without looking up from the essay she was grading.

When Albus did not answer her, she looked up, and saw that he was upset about something.

"Albus, is something wrong?"

"Minerva, I'm missing five lemon drops!" he exclaimed.

Minerva just looked at him for a moment. She wasn't sure that she heard him correctly. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"Before I left for the meeting, I had fifteen lemon drops. I now have ten. There are five missing!"

Minerva snorted. "You actually count your lemon drops? Don't you have better things to do with your time?"

Albus looked at her incredulously. "This is not a laughing matter, Minerva. I have a serious problem here!"

"I can see that," she replied sarcastically.

"I'll bet it was one of the Marauders that took them! It sounds like their idea of a joke!"

Minerva just stared at him. She couldn't believe that he was making such a big deal of this. "Are you sure you didn't miscount them?"

"No, I did not miscount them! Are you going to help me or not?" Albus was exasperated by now. He had hoped that Minerva would be more supportive and understanding of his problem.

"Albus, you can't just accuse someone of taking your lemon drops without proof. If you want, I'll go to Honeyduke's tomorrow and get you some more."

That seemed to placate Albus a little, but he still looked troubled. "That's nice of you, my dear, but I need to know what happened to these lemon drops. It's troubling that someone could have just walked in to my office and took them."

Minerva got up from the desk and pulled Albus into a hug. "Let's forget about missing lemon drops. It's not the end of the world."

Albus was not completely over his missing lemon drops, but being this close to Minerva was always intoxicating. He leaned down and kissed her, slowly and passionately. Albus detected a hint of sweetness on Minerva's lips, it was faint, but it tasted like…lemon. Albus suddenly broke the kiss and looked at Minerva. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"What's wrong, Albus?" she asked.

"You ate them." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Minerva knew that she had been caught.

"Oh, alright, yes, I ate them! I wanted to try one, to see what they were like, and then I had to have another because it was really good. Before I knew it, I had eaten five of them. I honestly didn't think you would notice, but then you started acting like the world ended. I'm sorry; I should have just told you that I had taken them."

Albus looked at the floor. "I'm sorry I made such a big deal out of this," he said sheepishly.

Minerva smiled. "I forgive you, as long as you don't make a big deal of missing lemon drops again."

Albus agreed, and pulled her in for another lemon flavored kiss.


	6. Chapter 6-Relax

Chapter 6- Relax

Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long since the last update! I hope you enjoy it!

Minerva McGonagall had never been so happy to see the end of a school day. Today the Marauders had given half the Slytherins in their year a nasty case of boils, disrupted her class constantly, and failed to turn in their homework. Their detention had just ended, and Minerva was grateful that it was Friday. With any luck, she wouldn't have to see them until Monday.

Minerva decided to get a head start on grading, so with an irritated sigh she pulled the pile of papers toward her. She only got through one paper when there was a familiar knock on the door.

"Come in, Albus," she said tiredly. Minerva just wanted to be alone at the moment.

"Hello, my dear. How was your day?"

Minerva looked up and glared at Albus. This day had been bad enough the first time; she didn't feel like talking about it. Minerva just shook her head and went back to her grading.

"Did something upset you today?" he asked her.

"What do you think?" she snapped. There was a moment of silence, and then she added, "I'm sorry, Albus. I've just had a rough day."

Albus walked over to stand behind her chair and began to massage her neck and shoulders. "You're very tense, Minerva. You need to relax a little," he said to her.

Minerva gave a short laugh. "Easy for you to say, you don't have to deal with the Marauders on a daily basis."

Albus didn't reply, but continued to massage her shoulders. After a moment, he reached up to her hair with one hand and began removing her hair pins.

"Albus, what are you doing?" she asked sharply.

"I'm trying to help you relax. Your hair is too tight; you should let it down more often."

Minerva turned around to retort, but Albus kissed her before she could say anything. Minerva knew that Albus was trying to calm her down and get her to relax, and it was working. It was hard to stay angry when he was kissing her like that. Albus knew her too well.

"Are you relaxed?" he asked her when he broke the kiss.

"I don't think so. I think I need another kiss," she replied, struggling to keep from smiling.

"I think I can manage that," he said, and then kissed her again. Minerva soon forgot why she had been angry before. When they broke the kiss, Albus could see a fire in Minerva's eyes, but it was from passion, not anger.

"I think I need more help relaxing," she said, and pulled him to the bedroom.

An hour later, Albus was lying on his back; Minerva was lying right next to him, with her head resting on his chest. Albus was alternating between stroking her back and her hair. She seemed to be very relaxed, or perhaps she was asleep, Albus couldn't tell.

"Minerva," he said softly.

"Hmmm," she replied sleepily.

"Are you relaxed now?"

"I'm very relaxed. I think we should do this more often," she said as she lifted her head and smiled at him.

"Well, I think that can be arranged," he replied, and smiled back.

Minerva gave him a quick kiss, and then put her head back on his chest. They laid in comfortable silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company.

"I love you," Minerva said as she felt herself drifting off.

"I love you too," Albus replied as she fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7-You and Me

Chapter 7-You and Me

Author's Note: Hey everybody, it's been way too long since I last updated, and I am very sorry about that! I had the unfortunate combination of no time to write and not much inspiration. But inspiration is coming back, and I have more time now! This chapter was inspired by the song You and Me by Lifehouse. It's a lovely song, and you should listen to it if you haven't heard it. I hope you like this chapter, I'm not sure if I like how it turned out, so please review!

Albus Dumbledore sighed as he entered the Minister's Ball. He did not want to be here, because these things were usually so dull, but to snub the new Minister was not an option. He had hoped that Minerva would accompany him, but she had told him that she had plans before he could even ask her.

The Minister greeted Albus enthusiastically, and immediately introduced him to a young woman from the Improper Use of Magic department. Inwardly, Albus groaned. The Minister saw him as an eligible bachelor, and was trying to set him up with someone. She was pretty, but not as pretty as Minerva, in his opinion. Albus smiled politely at the woman, and had a short conversation with her, and that was when he saw Minerva. She was standing about ten feet away talking to a sharply dressed man, and she looked bored to death. Albus excused himself and made his way over to Minerva.

"I wish I had known that these were your plans," he said to her. She turned to look at him with a mixture of relief and happiness, and the smile she gave him was brilliant. His heart skipped a beat, and he allowed himself the hope that she thought of him as more than a friend.

The man was trying desperately to regain Minerva's attention, but it was in vain. Minerva's attention was fully on Albus. He led her to a table where they could talk and have some privacy.

"I wish I had told you I would be here. I should have known you were invited, we could have come together and saved ourselves some trouble," she said to him.

"At least it worked out in the end," he replied, and she nodded.

Albus really looked at Minerva for the first time tonight. Her dark hair ran down her back in curls, and she was wearing a dark green gown that matched her eyes perfectly. "You look beautiful," he told her.

Minerva blushed and looked down at the table. She thought that there were women here that were far more beautiful than her. Like that woman that the Minister tried to set Albus up with. But Albus had not shown any interest in her; he was only interested in Minerva. It's because you're the only person here that he actually knows well, she told herself. She didn't want to get her hopes up only to get hurt.

All that evening, Albus and Minerva talked, danced, and laughed. The other women were clearly jealous of Minerva, and the other men jealous of Albus. But neither of them noticed, because they couldn't take their eyes off each other. They both realized, without knowing how, that their feelings were shared. They left the ball together, apparated to Hogsmeade, and began the walk back to Hogwarts. Without thinking, Albus took Minerva's hand in his. For one long second he was afraid that he had made a mistake, but to his delight, she just squeezed his hand and smiled at him.

When they got to the door to her room, Albus did something he had been longing to do for a while-he kissed her. Minerva, who had been shocked at first, returned the kiss with equal passion.

"I had a wonderful time tonight," Minerva said when they finally broke apart. She realized how cliché it sounded as soon as she said it, but Albus smiled and brushed his fingers across her cheek.

"I had a wonderful time, too," he replied. He kissed her one more time, and then headed toward his rooms with an extra bounce in his step that hadn't been there earlier.


	8. Chapter 8-The Rainstorm

Chapter 8-The Rainstorm

Author's Note: Inspired by the recent rainy weather.

Minerva watched the rain fall outside the window. She had always loved dark and stormy nights. Listening to the rain was soothing, and the lightning was always spectacular. She was so busy watching the rain that she forgot about the chess game.

"It's your turn," Albus said.

Minerva could hear a hint of amusement in his voice. She turned her attention back to the chess game and noticed that he had her king surrounded.

"Oh, I forgot. Check mate," he added, definite amusement in his voice now. She looked up to see him grinning at her, and she couldn't help but return the grin.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm a bit distracted tonight. You know I can't resist a rainstorm." Minerva stood up and walked over to the window. She looked over her shoulder at Albus and smiled, silently asking him to join her. He did.

"I've always loved the rain, ever since I was a little girl. I used to sit on mum's lap and we would watch the storm together," Minerva said softly, her Scottish accent like music to his ears. It was moments like this, when she was so relaxed and her guard was fully down, that made him love her even more. There were so few people that she was completely comfortable with, and Albus was so grateful that he was one of them.

They watched the steadily falling rain. A bolt of lightning lit up the entire sky for a moment, and then the sky returned to black. A few moments later came the thunder. They didn't talk much, but they didn't need to. Just being near each other was enough.

Minerva leaned back against Albus, knowing that he was close behind her. He wound his arms around her waist, pulling her as close to him as possible. Albus nuzzled her hair, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. He planted kisses from her temple to her jaw, and then gently nibbled her earlobe. Her sharp intake of breath had been the desired effect. Albus smiled then nibbled her earlobe again, knowing that she would not be able to resist much longer.

A second later, Minerva spun around in Albus' arms and kissed him. The kiss was fierce and passionate, and she wanted him to have no doubts about her intentions. Minerva felt her back come to rest against the window. The cool glass contrasted the fire that was burning throughout her body. Her pulse quickened and she could feel the adrenaline flowing through her veins. Could Albus feel it too?

When the need for air was too great, they broke apart. Albus rested his forehead against Minerva's. She looked into his eyes and saw the same desire that she felt. Without a word, she took his hand and led him to the bedroom. Outside, the storm continued its lightning show, but the two lovers hardly noticed, because there was a different kind of electricity inside.


End file.
